Vote for Cisco. Ping your voice to Senate!

Hello fellow UBC graduate students. My name is Cisco (@ciscogiii on twitter) and I am running for the senate position with the intent of making graduate student problems and ideals heard by the university. These maybe as simple as (dis)approving a course or as complex as ensuring an academic appeal is given the fairness it deserves. I won’t bore you to death talking about details of my background or who I am (these may be found at www.franciscograjales.com/ for those who are interested); I much rather focus on why I am running for this position and what I would like to do for you.

Unlike most other GSS candidate positions, Student Senators hold a different role. If elected, my job is to represent you, graduate students, in the highest decision-making body at UBC – Vancouver Senate. This means that although I will not hold a budget to make physical events or scholarships happen; I can persistently ensure that your voice is heard in all senate decisions. These include graduate-calendar changes, campus building decisions, appeals, curriculum changes, and policy; such as what our current president, Arvnd Saraswat, has proposed in regards to accessible child-care facilities.

It is sad that due to the unpaid nature of this seat, it has been customary for graduate student senators to step back and let their job slack. I feel privileged at the opportunity to represent us and break this patternif elected as your representative. I would also like to show my commitment by letting you know that my arms and ears are open to you. There’s no need to come to the GSS office – you can ping me on twitter, Facebook, or even my mobile. I commit to listening and facilitating your voice to the GSS body because I believe it is the only way we can be properly represented at the UBC Vancouver Senate. I will also strive to keep your GSS representatives accountable and support them in serving you.

Let’s work together and make UBC the best graduate student experience we could have!